Cultural Wars Playing Out in the Not-So-United States

By Steve Roling on May 14, 2013Inaugural President and CEOHealth Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City

Last week Missouri passed two pieces of legislation — which were based upon legislation recently passed by Kansas — that substantially reduces taxes and nullifies federal gun control laws being enforced in the state. In addition, federal lawmakers have refused to provide appropriate money to implement certain sections of the Affordable Care Act. All of these actions are aimed at controlling the impact the federal government can have even if a bill becomes law.

Reasonable people can argue over how much taxes are needed to run state government. The theory goes that if we reduce the money that goes to schools and universities, reduce the money that goes to build and repair roads, reduce money that pays the state match for social service programs for the poor, reduce money that goes to pay for parks, etc., the state will entice folks to relocate their families and businesses to Kansas and Missouri because they will be paying lower taxes.

Kansas has a law that does not allow federal gun control laws to be enforced in Kansas, and Missouri legislature sent a similar bill to the Missouri governor last week seeking his signature to make it state law.

Gun control and federal health care are cultural wars playing out in the U.S. states right now. State lawmakers are debating whether or not to fund the federal health care law, which was ruled constitutional by the Supreme Court, and considering state laws that give local authorities the power to bypass enforcing federal gun control laws.

Maybe I am old school, but I didn’t realize that we can pick and choose to fund and enforce only the laws that some people find acceptable. Our U.S. constitution is in jeopardy.